website/content/museum/rowtron-television-computer-system.md

---
title: ROWTRON Television Computer System
categories:
- Consoles
params:
  name: Television Computer System
  image: /media/museum/photos/rowtron_televisioncomputersystem_2.jpg
  company: /companies/rowtron
  company_name: ROWTRON
  tabs:
  - photos
  - adverts
  - software
  - emulators
  - links
  photos:
  - title: TELEVISION COMPUTER SYSTEM
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/rowtron_televisioncomputersystem_1.jpg
  - title: SIDE VIEW
    subtitle: ''
    text: We can see here the large cartidge slot... This is quite strange that it is placed here, as when looking at the case, it seems that a "top loading cartridge slot" was first planned.
    image: /media/museum/photos/rowtron_televisioncomputersystem_side.jpg
  - title: CONTROL PANEL
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Classic control panel when it's about Interton VC-4000 compatible systems:

      \- FUNCTION (used to start the selected game)\
      \- RESET (to reset the game)\
      \- CYCLE (used to select the different options)\
      \- POWER ON/OFF
    image: /media/museum/photos/rowtron_televisioncomputersystem_controlpanel.jpg
  - title: CONTROLLER
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/rowtron_televisioncomputersystem_controller.jpg
  - title: MOTHER BOARD
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/rowtron_televisioncomputersystem_mobo.gif
  - title: BOX
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/rowtron_televisioncomputersystem_box.jpg
  adverts:
  - title: PROMOTIONAL PICTURE
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/pubs/rowtron_televisioncomputersystem_prmpicture.jpg
  - title: 'LEAFLET #1'
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/pubs/rowtron_televisioncomputersystem_leaflet1.jpg
  - title: 'LEAFLET #2'
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/pubs/rowtron_televisioncomputersystem_leaflet2.gif.jpg
  screenshots:
  - title: CARTRIDGE BOX
    subtitle: ''
    text: Apparently all cartridges were sold with the same box... Only a side label differenciated the different games.
    image: /media/museum/software/rowtron_televisioncomputersystem_boxart.jpg
  - title: CARTRIDGE
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/rowtron_televisioncomputersystem_sportingshotgun_cart.jpg
  emulators:
  - title: WinArcadia
    url: http://amigan.1emu.net/releases/
    platform: Windows
    text: Arcadia 2001, Interton VC 4000, Elektor TVGC emulator!
  - title: AmiArcadia
    url: http://amigan.1emu.net/releases/
    platform: Amiga OS
    text: Arcadia 2001, Interton VC 4000, Elektor TVGC emulator!
  links:
  - title: 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System FAQ
    url: http://www.consoledatabase.com/faq/1292/1292faq.txt
    text: Very interesting info by Dale Hansen about this whole console family
  - title: Emerson Arcadia 2001 Central
    url: https://amigan.yatho.com/
    text: World's largest Interton site
  - title: INTERNAL LINK
    url: https://www.old-computers.com/magazine/view.asp?r=2&a=7
    text: We have made a page describing the VC 4000 and different compatible systems
  - title: Radofin 1292 FAQ
    url: http://www.digitpress.com/faq/1292faq.txt
    text: Excellent FAQ created by Dale Hansen
  - title: sig2650.wordpress.com
    url: https://sig2650.wordpress.com/
    text: Website dedicated to Signetics 2650 based systems, by former Voltmace developper Derek Andrews
  - title: VC4000.de
    url: http://www.vc4000.de
    text: Website dedicated to the Interton VC4000 (in German)
  comments:
  - author: Michelle (Lancs)
    date: Tuesday 21st November 2017
    text: I''ve still got the rowtron tv console with 10 games
  - author: stinky ox (United Kingdom)
    date: Friday 10th March 2017
    text: |-
      Just confirming that I wasn''t crazy remembering I got one of these in 1979: here''s an ad from the shop I bought it from in Basingstoke, dated Dec 1979.

      http://minotaurproject.co.uk/YakImages/videotime.jpg
  - author: Steve (UK)
    date: Monday 25th July 2016
    text: Does anyone have a picture of the original PSU, I see conflicting information for the voltage and amperage. I have an original Rowtron TCS from my childhood but its lost the PSU, I want to be double sure I have the right spec before trying anything that will damage it!
  - author: Adam (London)
    date: Tuesday 4th February 2014
    text: |-
      Hi all,

      I wrote up a pretty in depth review of the rowtron console last year. Check it out:

      http://dustyoldgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/rowtron-television-computer-system.html
  - author: Sven
    date: Friday 23rd March 2012
    text: The mpt numbers quoted on the products were related to radio emissions compliance.
  - author: stinky ox (UK)
    date: Sunday 11th December 2011
    text: |-
      I can confirm this system was available at least 2 years before 1981. I bought mine from a shop called Videotime in Basingstoke, in 1979. That shop was a regular hangout for the computer nerds from QMC - they stocked the Atari VCS and the Ohio Superboard as well as this. I desperately wanted a computer but couldn''t afford one in those pre-Clive days, and I couldn''t afford the more inviting Atari VCS either, so ended up getting the Teleng branded version of this instead (partly because of the promised future Programmer Module, but I never did see one of those, and before too long I had my ZX80 anyway).

      Still, I had a fair bit of fun with the Teleng, even if the software wasn''t a patch on the best VCS games. Took it with me to university where it shared an old black and white valve telly (that I''d bought off a granny in Reading for a fiver) with my zx80.

      Eventually replaced by a real VCS that I convinced myself I could afford to buy if I ate nothing but beans for a term.

      I wish I knew what happened to the old beast now. I''d definitely fire it up for a go of Gravity Tennis and that pinball with the flippers that looked like giant crinkle-cut chips.
  - author: Richard
    date: Sunday 20th November 2011
    text: Discovered mine today, will try it out this week, have all 21 games the one with the din plug was a programmer module which you plugged into it, still looking for mine but i have the cartridge. Can''t wait to play tank battle once more!
  - author: Webmaster (France)
    date: Monday 4th July 2011
    text: Hi Claire. It means that these games are supposed to exit, but no one confirmed them yet. Can you ?
  - author: claire
    date: Wednesday 8th June 2011
    text: Why are there 3 games showing as unconfirmed, what does this mean please?
  - author: Ian Gledhill (Aberystwyth, Wales)
    date: Friday 19th November 2010
    text: Looking at my Teleng TCS, everything is dated 1979, around week 13 (2650AI) to week 38 (UM1233). Weirdly, it has 2 modulators, a UM 1263 and a UM 1233. Now to find a +15V PSU....! I also have a load of boxed carts, including one with a DIN plug??? Goodness knows what it''s for...
  - author: ZiG (England)
    date: Friday 6th August 2010
    text: Me mam still wont let me have mine out her attic, she thinks i''ll break it pmsl, seriously. Used to hammer a space invaders clone on that back when I was about 8 (32 now). Always remember it being hard to find games for, after seeing recently how many were released, I''m not surprised.
  - author: K3D (Wales)
    date: Wednesday 23rd July 2003
    text: Still got one of these in the attic. Think its best left there :P
  related:
  - /museum/acetronic-mpu-1000-2000
  - /museum/cabel-universal-game-computer
  - /museum/interton-vc-4000
  - /museum/itmc-video-ordinateur-mpt-05
  - /museum/korting-tele-video-computer-tvc-4000
  - /museum/societe-occitane-d-electronique-oc-2000
  - /museum/t-r-q-talleres-radioelectricos-querol-h-21-video-computer
  - /museum/voltmace-database-games-computer
  oc_id: 727
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230331055354/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=727
    date: '2023-03-31'
---

The Rowtron Television Computer System is another [Interton VC-4000](/museum/interton-vc-4000/) "software compatible" system (saying "clone" would be misleading). That is to say that the internal specs are exactly the same and that games would run on both systems. The cartridge slots are however different in shape, so there is no way simply test that (with an emulator that would be easier).

There are two controllers composed of a 12 keys keypad and an analog joystick. Interton VC-4000 compatible systems usualy have this 12 keys PLUS one or two fire buttons. Here there are only 12 keys and one of these, the "8", is used as the fire button (it is thus colored red). However the quality of the keys is excellent (calculator type) compared to other systems... The top of the joysticks can be unscrewed and stored somewhere safe.

The control panel has always the same buttons found on all systems of this system family: Function (Start), Reset, Cycle (Options) and on/off switch. Underneath one can find a useful sound volume switch. It's not ON and OFF but rather HIGH and LOW, which is helpful enough.

Something very strange about this console, is that on top of the case there is a plastic modeled rectangle at the exact place where it would have been logical to find the cartridge slot. But the real cartridge slot is found on the right side of the system, like an Intellivision... It sounds like the case had been designed for a top-loaded cartridge system, and they had to modify it at the last moment to implement the mother board they finaly got...

On the case is written "Television Computer System" as well as "Home Entertainment Centre". Wow, very promising... Underneath the system, there is label reading SD-090R. The letters SD are often found on obscure systems, and are supposed to mean SOUNDIC, an asian company which produced a lot of obscure systems, especially pong-based systems. But SD-090 systems are usualy quite different from the Rowtron. This remains a mistery to me. However, on the motherboard is written MPT-04, which makes much more sense! MPT-0x is often found on obscure system motherboards. We don't know yet who produced them (Soundic?) and sold them to so many brands but: MPT-02 are [RCA Studio II](/museum/rca-studio-ii/) compatible systems, MPT-03 are [Emerson Arcadia 2001](/museum/emerson-arcadia-2001/) compatible systems and MPT-04 / 05 systems are [Interton VC-4000](/museum/interton-vc-4000/) compatible systems!

The Rowtron Television Computer System can also be found under the Teleng brand.

<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>We need more info about this console ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>